United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Vera Songwe, has briefed Permanent Representatives (PRs) of African Member States in New York on some key undertakings of the Commission in support of the financing and sustainable development needs of African countries.
Songwe said the meeting, held on 7 July, was an opportunity to provide an update on all the work the ECA has been doing with the African Union and Egypt’s COP 27 Presidency, regarding climate change at large and specific issues such as a Just Energy Transition and what that means for Africa. She also highlighted that “Africa is in need of more liquidity and Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) will allow Africa to go from $33.6 billion to $67 billion” and that Africa can also generate additional liquidity through carbon pricing.
The ECA Chief and her team of experts updated the PRs on the Kigali Declaration – the outcome of the Eighth African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development – which comprises the priorities, policy options, and recommendations for Africa to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 at multiple levels.
Road to COP 27
New flagship publication looks at ten years of investments in regional operations
The African Development Bank Group has released a new report providing a snapshot of results of regional operations financed by its concessional lending window, the African Development Fund (ADF), over the last decade.
The report, “Crossing Borders, Connecting Communities, Changing Lives,” reviews and documents the impacts of the regional operations envelope since ADF-13 (the 13th replenishment of the ADF). Contributing more than 80 active regional projects and programs, the ADF’s regional operations envelope provides vital support to Africa’s 37 low-income countries, 16 of which are landlocked. By supplementing these countries’ resources, the envelope makes it possible for the countries to build regional infrastructure that stimulate their development.
The report also highlights how between 2020 and 2022, the ADF expects to finance 51 projects and programs worth $2.7 billion and mobilize another $1.5 billion in co-financing from development partners such as the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund, the OPEC Fund, and the European Investment Bank.
Premature return to pre-pandemic slot rules risks continued passenger disruption
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed concern that a premature return to pre-pandemic slot use rules in the EU this winter risks continuing disruption to passengers.
The European Commission has announced it intends to return to the longstanding 80-20 slot use rule, which requires airlines to operate at least 80% of every planned slot sequence. Global slot rules are an effective system for managing access to and the use of scarce capacity at airports. The system has stood the test of time and while airlines are keen to restart services, the failure of several key airports to accommodate demand, coupled with increasing air traffic control delays, means a premature return to the 80-20 rule could lead to further passenger disruption.
The evidence so far this summer has not been encouraging. Airports had the 2022 summer season schedules and final slot holdings in January and didn’t evaluate how to manage this in time. Airports declaring that full capacity is available and then requiring airlines to make cuts this summer shows the system is not ready for reviving “normal” slot use this winter season (which begins at end of October).
telebirr based tax payment system introduced
Ethio telecom and Addis Ababa City Administration Revenues Bureau have jointly implemented a telebirr based tax payment system to enable category C tax payers settle their annual income tax.
Accordingly, this partnership agreement signed between the two institutions would enable Addis Ababa City Administration Category C tax payers settle their annual income tax payments anytime from their whereabouts using the newly emerging telebirr digital payment system which is easy, fast, convenient and secure payment platform.
Furthermore, this reliable and cost effective optional digital payment system on one hand would play a paramount role for Addis Ababa City Administration Revenues Bureau mainly to simplify and timely collect the income tax and on the other hand, it would enable tax payers settle their annual income tax easily and timely via telebirr mobile App or USSD (*127#) from their whereabouts anytime and curb the problem to find the copy of documents apart from assisting.
